Australia vs India 2024, 2nd Test- 3 player battles to watch out for

After over 10 days of rest, the second Test match in the Border Gavaskar Trophy is set to begin. Adelaide Oval is expected to be packed to the rafters as Australia and India will resume battle on Friday. The first Test in Perth ended in favor of India which they won by 295 runs. 

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed his move to the middle order while speaking to the media on Thursday. KL Rahul will continue to open the batting with Yashasvi Jaiswal in Adelaide after stitching a 201-run stand in Perth. Shubman Gill is also back in the team after missing the last game due to injury. 

Rohit Sharma said “How I came to that decision of batting down the order is because we want results, we want success. Maybe in the future things will be different, I don't know. So based on what has happened and what KL has shown outside of India, he probably deserves that place at this point. It is something that has given us success in the first Test. To have that big partnership with Jaiswal on the other side probably won us the Test."

Here are the top 3 player battles to watch out for during Adelaide Test

3- Scott Boland vs Virat Kohli 

With Josh Hazlewood missing the game, Scott Boland has been drafted into the playing XI. The 35-year-old has played 10 Test matches and picked 35 wickets with a best of 6/7 which is his only fifer in Test cricket. Boland played a key role in Australia winning the WTC finals in 2023 with a total of 5 wickets in the game. Former India skipper Virat Kohli and his battles with Scott Boland will be the one to watch out for in Adelaide. With his natural line in the 4th and 5th stump, Boland could trouble Kohli. The former India skipper has a penchant for nicking at deliveries on such lines and getting caught behind the wicket. 

2- Jasprit Bumrah vs Travis Head 

Just a few days before the start of the 2nd Test, Australian batter Travis Head had praised Bumrah and said he was looking forward to the battle. Indian pacer picked 8 wickets in the Perth Test with the scalp of Travis Head in the 2nd innings. Head knows the conditions at Adelaide Oval well as he is a local lad. The match-up between the two can define the possible outcome of the game. Both players are naturally aggressive and can change the course of the game inside a session. 

1- Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Mitchell Starc 

Young Indian batting sensation, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored an epic 161 during the 1st Test in Perth. The left-handed batter was also involved in a verbal battle with Australian speedster Mitchell Starc. During the game, Jaiswal quipped to Starc ‘Bowling too slow’ and this was caught on the stump mic. Starc had dismissed Jaiswal in the first innings for a duck and the battle between the two stars will be box-office in Adelaide.